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Letter Head: Jack O'Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education

August 21, 2008

Dear Food Service Director/CNIPS Administrator:

Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS):
Quick Start Guide for the Application Component

The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is excited to announce that the application component of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) will be available to sponsors on August 25, 2008. Since the CNIPS classroom and Web-based training is optional, this communication will provide information to get you started with the CNIPS, whether or not you attend training sessions. We suggest that you read this correspondence thoroughly and have it available the first time you Log On to the CNIPS.

User IDs and Passwords

  • The NSD will provide each sponsor with a User Identification (ID) and password.
  • The User ID and password will be sent to the Food Service Director/CNIPS Administrator in two separate e-mails, beginning on August 22, 2008.
  • While you may receive the User ID and password prior to August 25, 2008, you will not be able to access the CNIPS until August 25, 2008.
  • We understand that many sponsors may want more than one person at their district/agency to have access to the CNIPS. Therefore, the designated Food Service Director/CNIPS Administrator will have the security rights in the CNIPS to add additional users.

Logging On to the CNIPS

Please note: The CNIPS site is a secure Web site. Therefore, you must type the Web address as stated above or you will not be able to access the CNIPS site.

  • In the spaces provided, type in your User ID and password and select Log On.
  • You will be immediately prompted to change your password the first time you log on to the CNIPS. Type in your new password in the space provided and then re-type your password.
  • When your new password is validated, the School Nutrition Programs message screen will display.

Accessing the Application Packet

Prior to submitting reimbursement claims via the CNIPS (beginning with your October 2008 claim), the application component of the CNIPS must be completed, validated, and submitted to the NSD for review and approval.

To Access the Application Packet

  • Select Applications from the blue tool bar located at the top of the screen.
  • Select the Application Packet from the menu.
  • If this is the first time your Application Packet has been accessed, you will be prompted to enroll in the school year. Select the red Enroll button to access your Application Packet.
  • Select the 2008-2009 School Year.
  • The Application Packet is separated into four sections: Sponsor Application, Site Applications-School Nutrition Programs, Site Applications-Seamless Summer, and Checklist.

Please note: Under the Status heading, the Sponsor Application status will display as Pending Validation. This means that the Sponsor Application must be completed, verified, and submitted to the NSD. Also displayed will be the total number of sites enrolled in School Nutrition Programs and Seamless Summer Programs (if applicable). The red Requires Attention notation next to Status denotes that the applications or checklist must be completed, verified, and submitted to the NSD.

Completing and Validating the Application Packet

In the preparation of the Application component in the CNIPS, the NSD transferred sponsor and site information from the prior system on June 30, 2008. Therefore, when you open your application, you need to review the information to ensure it is correct. In addition, you will notice that some fields have been left blank. This information was not available in our previous system; however, you must complete these fields in the CNIPS.

The following is a list of the data fields for which you may not have information readily available and that you must provide in the CNIPS Sponsor and Site Applications.

We suggest you have this information ready to enter into the CNIPS before you attempt to complete your Applications:

  • District/Agency racial and ethnic student data (2008-09 School Year)
  • Current site enrollment (2008-09 School Year)
  • Food Service contact (at each site)
  • Residential Child Care Institution Facility license number (if applicable)
  • Snack program contact information (if applicable)
  • Meal start and end times for each participating program
  • Number of lunches claimed at each site in each eligibility category (free, reduced-price, and paid) two years prior, using the 2006-07 School Year
    •

    Please note: Only those sites approved for the National School Lunch Program in the 2006-07 School Year can complete this data field.

    • Pricing Information for each participating program at each site (2008-09 School Year)

    Please note: The Adult Pricing section of the Site Applications must be completed. Even if your district/agency does not offer meals to adults, a pricemust be entered. The adult meal price should be at least $0.50 more than the paid price or the free rate of reimbursement.

    Complete/verify all data fields in the Sponsor Application and in each Site Application, even if the fields are blank when you open the application. This initial process serves as a way to verify that all information about your district/agency is correct in the CNIPS.

    To Complete and Validate the Application Packet in the CNIPS

    • Select the Sponsor Application link to access the Sponsor Application.
    • Select the Site Applications-School Nutrition Programs link to access the Site List.
    • Select the Site Name link to access the Site Application.
    • Enter any changes to current sites, including the addition of new sites not listed on the screen, during the application completion/validation process.
    • Select the Save button when you have completed all the information in the Sponsor Application and each Site Application.
    • Check the Certification box. You will see the status change from Pending Validation to Not Submitted.
    • In order to submit the Application Packet for NSD approval, you will select the red Submit for Approval button on the 2008-09 Application Packet screen.

    Please note: We highly recommended that you complete the Sponsor and Site Application(s) at your earliest convenience (no later than October 3, 2008), and then submit them for NSD approval. With the exception of year-round schools, you may delay the completion and submission of the Seamless Summer Feeding Option Applications until March 2009.

    Clearing the Checklist

    • An automatic Checklist of documents may be triggered during the process of completing and validating the Sponsor Application and the Site Application(s), depending upon how you answer questions in the Applications.
    • The Checklist prompts sponsors to send required documents via United States mail to the NSD.
    • During the application/renewal process, the only Checklist items that must be submitted are those that are new or changed. For example, if you answer the questions in the Site Application relating to Provisions 2 or 3 and state that you have implemented a Provision, the Checklist will require that you send in the Provision implementation documents. However, you should only send in the Checklist item if you are implementing the Provision in the 2008-09 School Year and have not yet been approved for participation.
    • To submit the Application Packet, you must clear the Checklist. Therefore, on the Checklist indicate that you have sent the documents to the NSD; however, only send the noted documents if something is new or changed.
    • If you need to send in documents based on a program that is new or changed, please send Checklist documents to the following address:

    California Department of Education
    School Nutrition Programs Unit
    1430 N Street, Suite 1500
    Sacramento, CA 95814

    Submitting the Application Packet for Approval

    After you have completed the Sponsor Application, Site Application(s), and Checklist Item(s), the Application Packet is ready to be submitted for approval. This is indicated when the red Requires Attention notes are no longer visible—or 0 Requires Attention is displayed on each line.

    • Select the red Submit for Approval button to submit your Application Packet to the NSD.
    • Select OK when the confirmation screen appears.

    Please note: After submitting the Application Packet, the red Requires Attention note will re-appear. This means that the NSD must review and approve the Application Packet. No further work is needed by the sponsor.

    Congratulations! You have now submitted your Application Packet in the CNIPS.

    Submitting Reimbursement Claims in the CNIPS

    • The first reimbursement claim your district/agency will submit in the CNIPS begins with the October 2008 claim(s), which are usually submitted in November and prior to December 22, 2008.
    • Until that time, sponsors must continue to submit reimbursement claims via the current paper process.
    • Beginning with the October 2008 claim, we will no longer accept paper reimbursement claims.
    • In the CNIPS, claims may be submitted either at the sponsor level (current process) or at the site level. Sponsors using a computer Point of Sale (POS) system can upload a data file generated from the POS system to populate the claim in the CNIPS. You will want to work closely with your POS vendor. Information for your POS vendor regarding specifications is available on the CNIPS Web page at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/cn/.

    Please note: Sponsors choosing to upload a date file from their POS system to populate the claim in the CNIPS must select site level reporting. You can easily notify the NSD of this choice by sending an e-mail to CNIPS@cde.ca.gov (with Site Level Reporting in the subject line) and providing your name, title, school, and contact information in the body of the e-mail.

    Additional Assistance

    The NSD offers the following resources to assist you with accessing the CNIPS and completing/validating the Application component:

    • Help Desk

    Beginning August 25, 2008, the Help Desk will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by calling 800-952-5609 (option 6). Currently, and in the future, you can e-mail the Help Desk at: CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.

    • Integrated Help Feature

    This Help feature is built into the CNIPS and can be accessed by selecting Help in the blue tool bar at the top of the screen.

    • CNIPS Sponsor User Manual

    The CNIPS Sponsor User Manual will be posted and available for you to download from the CNIPS home page at: https://www.cnips.ca.gov.

    • Live CNIPS Training

    Classroom training, desktop webinar sessions, and webinar workshops will be available throughout the State on a first-come, first-served basis. Announcements regarding these trainings will be sent to you via e-mail and you can register electronically. If you have questions regarding the CNIPS training, please contact the NSD at: CNIPStrain@cde.ca.gov.

    • Recorded CNIPS Training

    The software simulation videos are approximately five to fifteen minutes in length and include such topics as: “How to Change your Password,” “How to Complete your Sponsor Application,” and “How to Submit Your Claim for Reimbursement.” These videos will soon be available on the CNIPS Web page.

    If you have any questions regarding the initial roll out of the CNIPS, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk at CNIPS@cde.ca.gov.

    Sincerely,

    Phyllis Bramson-Paul, Director
    Nutrition services Division

    PBP:jkl

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